Perception (ONC 2021)

Chapter 11: A Chance

Marie blinked. She looked back at the bodies.

Hell, a fitting name.

She then shook and promptly hurled onto the grass. Her vision blurred as warm tears streamed down her face.

Why?

Why was she here?

Please, let this be a nightmare, please.

Marie looked up to see the man looking at her with pitying eyes.

"I told you. This place is hell." He looked up. "We're stuck here." He looked back down and held out a handkerchief. "Here, wipe your mouth. We will need to go soon."

Marie nodded. She wiped her mouth and stood up.

"Hey everyone! Gather up. I have some interesting information."

Marie looked back. She saw a woman in a plain grey blazer. Looking around, she followed the others and gathered around the woman.

The woman looked up. "First of all, I like to introduce myself. I'm Sera and what we just witnessed now is a Stampede Incident. We have a time limit to escape. That is the objective of the game, but we can't."

"Why?"

Sera stopped. She frowned. "I-I will disclose this information later. Once the group is complete."

Marie frowned. "What do you mean?"

Sera looked at Marie. She smiled. "A new person, are you?"

Marie nodded. "I'm Marie."

Sera grinned. "Nice to meet you, Marie. Now back to what I was saying, a complete group is a hundred-and-fifty people."

"What does that mean?"

Sera smiled grimly. "That means that whoever died was meant to die. At least until the group is complete."

...

Lauris gritted her teeth. It was that eye again! What did that have to do with everything? How was this all connected? The woman squinted and saw lays of something beneath the illusion of the eye.

"Easy there now. Don't go peeking into things you don't comprehend."

Lauris turned around. She blinked. A man in a dark overcoat stood still behind her. He had a top hat that obscured his face, and swirls of grey mid surrounded his body.

This man was not human.

"What are you? Why are you here."

The man tilted his head. "I'm here because I want to. As for what I am, I guess you could think of me as a friendly observer, but only to those who can see."

Lauris blinked. "Right."

The man shook his head. "I'm not joking. I was the one that warned Nora of the wall. Even to those who can see, the wall is invisible, falsely benign." He sighed. "You don't need to worry about her and. It's still there. It's just not."

Lauris raised a brow.

The man shook his head dramatically. "Such narrow mindedness. Humans are the most idiotic of the lot. It's both entertaining and exasperating."

Lauris narrowed her eyes.

The man took off his top hat and bowed. "I will bid you farewell. Oh, what was I about to say?" He turned around. "Oh yes, I remember. Those eyes are an opportunity for escape." With that, he disappeared in a puff of grey mist.